1. -sion with a ZH sound

It is important to know that the first letter of the suffix -sion
can have different pronunciations. The vowels will always have a short U sound. In some words, the s can be pronounced
with a ZH sound. For example, this
happens when the -sion
ending comes after a vowel.

If you hear the "ZHun" sound at the end of a word, it will have a -sion
ending.

Here are some of the most common examples with this pronunciation:

collision

division

explosion

decision

seclusion

revision

confusion

conclusion

occasion

vision

invasion

exclusion

precision

fusion

persuasion

intrusion

2. -sion after the letters L, N, or R

The class will go on an excursion
to a sports camp.

If the final letter of the word before the noun suffix is l, n, or r, the ending will
usually be -sion.

After an r
ending, -sion
will have the ZH
sound seen above. After an l or an n, it will have a SH sound, "SHun."

For example:

compulsion

expulsion

propulsion

extension

tension

apprehension

expansion

pension

mansion

comprehension

dimension

suspension

diversion

immersion

version

conversion

3. -sion for root words ending in -mit or -ss

The teacher gave the students permission
to take a break.

Finally, when the root word we add the noun suffix to ends in -ss or
-mit, we will use -sion.
For these words, you will see that the root takes a final s so that the ending
is -ssion.

For example, the verb "permit" becomes the noun "permission."
The verb "express" becomes the noun "expression."

Here are some examples:

commission

discussion

session

recession

profession

mission

admission

passion

depression

succession

transmission

submission

emission

aggression

concession

compassion

percussion

4. -tion after letters other than L, N, or R

Pauline had a question
about the new system.

The -tion
ending will always have a SH sound followed by a short
U sound:
"SHun." It is used after letters other than l, n, or r. This is a very
common ending for English nouns.

Here are some common nouns with a -tion
ending:

information

education

position

action

section

situation

condition

production

population

application

operation

election

association

station

function

organization

direction

competition

institution

solution

communication

protection

option

contribution

reaction

5. -tion exceptions after N or R

The telephone was a very important invention
of the 19th century.

However, there are a few words in English that have a -tion
ending after an n or
an r. You
should learn these exceptions.

For example:

mention

attention

intention

convention

prevention

detention

proportion

assertion

distortion

exertion

extortion

6. -cion

The detective had a suspicion
about the tall woman.

There are only a few words in English that end in -cion,
so you can memorize them.

They are:

suspicion

coercion

scion

Review

So, let's review what we have learned about the noun suffixes
-sion,
-tion,
and -cion
in English:

The suffixes -tion
and -sion
are quite common. There are only a few words in English with the -cion
suffix.

If the suffix is pronounced "ZHun," it will be spelled -sion.
However, this ending can also be pronounced "SHun."

If the last letter before the noun suffix is l, n, or r, the
word will take -sion.
There are a few exceptions when these words will take -tion.

The -sion
suffix is also used for root words ending in -mit or -ss. In these
cases, there will be a final s
before the suffix, meaning that the word will end in -ssion.

After letters other than l, n, or r, the -tion
suffix is used. It is always pronounced "SHun."

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